Hub Arkush: With Fangio gone, who do Bears hire as defensive coordinator?

Steve Wilks, Chuck Pagano among names that could interest Bears

By HUB ARKUSH

Jan. 10, 2019

Arizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks looks on during the first half against the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 23. — Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Vic Fangio is an outstanding coach and a really good guy who more than earned his crack at a head job years ago and I wish him nothing but the best since this is obviously what he wanted most.

That said is Denver going to be a smart move for Fangio?

Having Gary Kubiak to do for him on offense what he did for Matt Nagy this year on defense, assuming Fangio approaches the relationship the same way, is a great start.

From there things get very murky.

The Broncos current ownership structure is the least stable in the NFL. When it is settled, how stable will Fangio’s new boss, John Elway’s job be?

Until then, Elway is among the league’s more difficult executives to work for, and if reports that he will oversee the hiring of Vic’s staff are anywhere near true, that is a recipe for disaster.

Fangio has enough talent on defense to be very good quickly.

But with Case Keenum recently playing more like, well, Case Keenum, than the guy who led the Vikings in 2017, the Broncos probably need to start all over at quarterback, again.

For every head coach that succeeds dozens fail. Let’s hope Fangio doesn’t end up regretting this move.

From where the Bears sit, certainly they knew this was a real possibility and must have had a plan if Fangio left.

Many assumed it would be Todd Bowles replacing Fangio because of his long history with the Nagy family, but that won’t happen because the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a coaching decision fraught with concerns that worked for Bowles.

Bruce Arians resigned from the Cardinals head coach job just 12 months ago due to family and health concerns, and he is now 66 years old.

What exactly could Arians have done in the last year to eliminate all those concerns?

Apparently the Glazer brothers are most interested in Arians the quarterback whisperer working with Jameis Winston and are willing to take risks.

Why would Bowles – who does have an equally strong relationship with Arians as the Nagy family, or apparently stronger – choose the Bucs/Arians' murky waters and one of the NFL’s worst defenses in 2018 – 27th in total defense in 31st in points – allowed over the Bears with the consensus best defensive coordinator job in football?

One source very close to the situation opined to me that Bowles knows if he can turn the Bucs around, Arians isn’t likely back for long and if he leaves again in a year or two the Bucs could be his most direct path back to a head coaching job.

With Bowles unavailable the Bears have an excellent in-house candidate in secondary coach Ed Donatell, who has four years coordinator experience with the Packers, three years with the Falcons and one year in Washington. Donatell is coming off a fantastic year coaching the secondary.

Some believe, however, he will go with Fangio to be his coordinator.

Bears defensive line coach Jay Rodgers would be a bolder choice, but sources around the league tell me he’s ready after 10 years in the NFL. He has done a great job with Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman, Bilal Nichols and Roy Robertson-Harris.

If the Bears look outside, and he doesn’t go right back to Carolina where he did an outstanding job as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator, Steve Wilks could be very interesting.

Wilks was the Bears secondary coach from 2006-2008.

Another hot prospect, if he doesn’t get one of the last three head jobs, and they could pry him out of Dallas where Rod Marinelli has the coordinator job, would be Kris Richard, who was outstanding overseeing the Seattle defense from 2015-2017.

Other names my sources have shared are Jets defensive line coach Mike Caldwell, Chuck Pagano (who is from Boulder and could also be Fangio’s guy out there) and Greg Williams, who is arguably the best of the veterans but whose baggage is probably just too heavy.

Of course, there is always a chance Nagy has a surprise up his sleeve, a lesser-known position coach, defensive coordinator in waiting in whom he sees the same things Andy Reid saw in him, and I’m told not to rule out Chiefs DB’s coach Al Harris as a possibility.